Giant tortoise walks Tokyo streets

Slow and steady: A child playing with Bon-chan during its walk in Tsukishima in Tokyo. — AFP

TOKYO: A huge reptile is on the prowl through Tokyo’s streets – but unlike Godzilla, who stomped across Japan’s capital in a blaze of destructive energy, Bon-chan the giant tortoise isn’t doing anything very quickly.

The metre-long African spurred tortoise, which tips the scales at 70kg, is a regular sight on the streets of Tokyo’s Tsukishima district, as he and owner Hisao Mitani take their snail-paced daily walk.